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So, I figured I'd start a new thread for Chris' Jose Bautista painting (from the raffle last month), just to give a fresh look into this thing on my end from the ground up.

As you've probably read by now, Chris is a big Blue Jays fan, and has been since the team's inception in 1977. When we were in contact the first time, he made that known. From the outset, he wasn't terribly interested in a painting of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig or Christy Mathewson. He likes those fellas, but he wanted something that was a bit more on the personal side. Also, no self-respecting Toronto fan could possibly live with him/herself if a Yankee was adorning their wall!

He had a couple of ideas in mind, many of which he shared with the board: Joe Carter's romp around the bases, Devon White's catch in the '92 WS, George Bell's pennant-clinching catch in '85, the first pitch thrown in Jays franchise history, and finally, the Bautista bat flip.

Chris was a little bit worried that I might not really go for the last one, since it was a bit modern, and also somewhat controversial with a lot of people. Personally, it was never a problem for me, as I'm happy to just act as the visual reporter here. After some back and forth, I could tell through our conversations that more and more he was leaning towards Jose, as he eloquently stated the reason for in the raffle thread:
"I would be ecstatic with either but when I look back at last season and how I had something to cheer about after over two decades of zero playoff baseball. I didn't miss a game (live or PVR) and I was able to get into with my daughter (she has a Bautista doll and at 8 months, could search for it by name).

Even though it looks like Jose won't be resigned at the end of this year (which I realize is a business decision, but like Carter and Alomar etc, he deserves to have a place with the Jays greats) what he did while a Jay has been special. Two HR titles, 54 bombs in 2010. Really the only star for a long while.

Carter's HR now, when looking back, seems like a cherry on top of a sundae that I couldn't finish. An embarrassment of riches from 1985-1993. All those great moments from that run blend into one pleasant memory. Bautista gave me a fresh one to hang on to."

I don't think there could have been a better reason for choosing a specific player or moment, and I was thrilled that he went with what his heart was telling him. This is one of those pieces that just feels different - you can tell how much Chris (and his family) lives and dies by this team. And that's just awesome.

So, onto the image itself. Below is what we chose to work from (though the full, uncropped shot has a bit more room on both the left and right sides):

Normally, I would probably have tried to convince Chris to go with the larger, more expansive image - capturing the scope of the moment is always an important thing, and size is usually a big factor in doing so. But when it came down to it, he really liked to have it cropped and focused in on Jose:

I think it was an excellent choice, as he's still going to be able to keep a good amount of fans in the background. The fact that all of their arms are raised to the sky really adds to the emotion of it all, and I think helps tell the story. But in the end, the focal point will be Bautista's bat. He ends up being cropped a bit more tightly to the edge in that lower left corner, and his bat just steals center-stage. And when it's painted, I'll make sure that that's where the viewer's eyes go first.

Speaking of the painting, the stretcher bars have officially been ordered. once they land here in Brooklyn, they'll be constructed, and we'll get into the linen and priming.

Looking forward to sharing this journey with all of y'all! And if you have any questions, comments or problems, don't be afraid to chime in.

Graig -thanks in advance for allowing us to ride along on this journey.

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"A life is not important except in the impact it has on others lives" - Jackie Robinson

MY BIG CONCERNS ABOUT AMERICA:

Internally- We spend too much time assuring our rights without learning the responsibilities that should accompany them.Externally - No matter how much we claim to take the higher moral ground, we have neither respected nor attempted to understand other cultures.

That is going to be an incredible painting. It has so much going for it visually , full of emotion and passion. You don't need to be a Blue Jay fan or have watched the game to know a home run has just been hit. Flipping the bat says it all . I'm really glad the painting is contemporary . I love Graigs work from any era. Awesome selection Chris!

I'm super-stoked for this painting too, especially because it's modern. I feel like I'm lacking a lot of that in my portfolio, and ideally, I'd love to have a very well-rounded amount of years/eras from which to draw. Or paint. Whatever.

If I can get some more stuff from 1960 on through today, I'd be a happy camper, for sure. Then again, there's this Deacon White painting I want to do...

Not only are the fans' arms raised, but they're still focused on where the ball landed as he's looking at the bat as he flips it in celebration, so that image captures both what the fans were experiencing and his perspective in the moment just after the home run. Pretty cool.